The U.S. military killed six men Sunday in a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, according to U.S. Southern Command. The attack was part of the Trump administration's ongoing campaign against suspected drug traffickers that began in early September.

Sunday's strike brought the death toll to at least 157 people across more than 40 known operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The military posted video on social media showing a small boat being destroyed, but did not provide evidence that the vessel was carrying drugs.

U.S. Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. President Donald Trump has characterized these operations as part of an "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America, describing the attacks as necessary to stem drug flow into the United States.

During a meeting with Latin American leaders Saturday, Trump encouraged regional cooperation in military action against drug-trafficking cartels and transnational gangs. Ecuador and the United States conducted joint military operations against organized crime groups this past week.

The strikes have drawn criticism from legal experts and Democratic lawmakers who question their legality and effectiveness. Critics note that fentanyl, responsible for many fatal overdoses, is typically trafficked overland from Mexico rather than by sea. Some have characterized the killings as murder or potential war crimes.

The controversy intensified after reports that the military killed survivors of an initial boat attack in a follow-up strike. The Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have defended the operations as legal and necessary measures against what they term "narcoterrorists."